I think I did this right

[izumidai]

Ok, so I finally took the plundge into kegging. I read a ton of posts on this forum and did the cleaning and sanitizing routine. I filled my keg, hooked up the gas, pulled the lid into place and then filled the keg with 10psi until it stopped making noise. I then bled of the keg, made sure the lid was seated right and then hit it with 30psi. The fridge temp is 43-45 and I am shooting for high 3 to 4 vols (its a belgian golden strong). I have elected to go the patient route and not shake the co2 into solution. From what I have read, I now just let it sit for 7-10 days it will eventually balance out and I will have a beer at close to 4 volumes. Is that correct?

[linuxelf]

That sounds right. The only thing I could add would be the beer line length. Ideally, you want to drop the pressure at the point of dispensing to avoid excess foaming. You can do this by increasing the length of your beer line. The number I've always used is 1.8psi / foot. So to drop 30psi to dispense, you'd need a beer line about 16 feet long. I only have a 6' long beer line, and if I go much over 13psi for dispensing, I just get foam.

[oneal66]

The serving line length is determined by the ID of the hose.

http://hbd.org/clubs/franklin/public_html/docs/balance.html

You can scroll down and see the "Draft Line Resistance Table" to see the level of resistance in different ID hoses. That site is a great site for setting up a balanced draft system.

[ziggy]

yeah that's about right. I have never done a beer up to that level of carbonation. The thing that you'll have to remember when dispensing that beer is to fully open the tap all the way as quickly as possible. That seems to be the hardest thing to get other people to do when they are pouring beer from your tap.

[Mylo]

Dude, what's with the monkey goatse avatar?


Mylo

[BrewerB]

I've got a Belgian Golden Strong in the keg as well. It was carbonated at 29psi (quick carbonation shaking method) and I set my regulator at 3-4 psi to dispense. There is still a ton of foam as it streams out of the tap.

Would this be an issue with not having enough line, too?

[linuxelf]

If you set your regulator to 3-4 psi, and bleed the keg to match that pressure, then it should pour without foam. How long does it take to pour a pint? If the system is balanced, it should take several seconds. The advantage of getting the line diameter and length right to balance the keg is, you won't need to alter your keg pressure for dispensing.

[izumidai]

I will make sure I calculate the right output line. Thanks for the link.

So by just hooking up the gas and letting it sit, the CO2 will just get absorbed? I really don't have to shake or use a carb stone or anything?

Also, for Mylo... The monkey avatar was just a really old sailor jerry tattoo design that I always thought was funny/mildly offensive. Thanks for leading me to search "goatse" on the internet, because I had no idea what it meant. I certainly wasn't ready for what I found. You are a sick, sick man. Needless to say, I will probably be changing my avatar shortly. Thanks for the enlightenment.